(1) Sat Jul 07 2012 20:04Maggie Ventriloquist:
I have a couple Maggie quotes, so I guess I'll write all about her, too! Today we gave Maggie a punishment for her behavior yesterday (whining in the car, tantrum in the bath, kicking my seat, etc). Her punishment was that she could not ride in the stroller at all at Disneyland. Not only did she not complain about it, she didn't once ask to be carried. I think the Disneyland whining was at an all time low. Amazing!

Maggie loves talking to herself. LOVES it. Every since she first admitted a couple months ago that she lies in bed talking to herself, she's started doing it more and more. She used to come home from a busy day and want to play dinosaurs or something. Now she just talks to herself. She also runs around the room. Runs to the stairs and flops on them. Runs back to the couch and flops on it. Runs between the chair in our room and the bean bag in her room, flopping and talking to herself. Sometimes Little Piggy goes with her on these trips. Maybe we need to expend a little more energy at the park?

This week she's been staying up over an hour talking to herself, telling stories or whatever in bed. So the past two nights I gave her the option of watching one Dinosaur Train episode and talking to herself for just a couple minutes, or going to bed when Dalton goes to bed and talking all she wants. Luckily, she picked Dinosaur Train, because I don't like putting the kids to bed together. They share a room and keep each other up.

Maggie's top two favorite rides at Disneyland are Star Tours and Soarin' Over California. She doesn't like the big scary rides, or Pirates, but she likes most everything else. She will even go on Peter Pan now without complaining.

Her favorite colors are pink and purple, and she calls yellow "golden." She doesn't like to wear clothes with buttons on them. She pretends to read certain books that she has memorized (One Hungry Monster, Brown Bear, Mouse Paint). We've started playing "Don't Smile!" a lot because she pretends to be grumpy when she secretly likes something.

We've been going swimming on Sundays after church. She likes to swim around in a floatie and isn't afraid of the water like she used to be. We even got her in the hot tub last week!

M: I know I can do everything by myself. I just know it!

M, after doing zipline: Dad, be brave.

Sat Jul 07 2012 20:05Dalton Boy:
Dalton crying, almost fake crying.
Me: What is it, Dalton? Do you want a drink of water?
Dalton: No. I only crying.
Poor guy was really tired.

Sat Jul 07 2012 20:37What I Love About Disneyland:
This morning, when we got off the tram at Downtown Disney, there was a crowd of cast members wearing Mickey gloves lining the sidewalk, waving, high-fiving, and welcoming everyone. Of course, Maggie hung her head in embarrassment and refused to acknowledged anyone, but the rest of us thought it was awesome. This is what I love about Disneyland.

Disneyland isn't just a place to go ride rides. The entire park is an experience. There's always something unexpected or magical that will make the whole day more fun. A marching band being led down Main Street by Mickey Mouse. After tea yoga with the Mad Hatter. Cast members handing out stickers or buttons. "Racing tickets" at Autopia. Hidden Mickeys. Etc. Always something special. I love Disneyland.